Sword and Mind

34

Pallu stared down at the city from her perch on a mountainside to the east of the capitol. A month had passed since her father's death. He was still all she could think of. She turned from the heart-wrenching view of a city that held far too many memories and moved higher up the mountain. Her silent steps took her to a cave containing her camp for the last few days. Inside stooped Draus, feeding a fire.

"Where are the others?"

"Hiding from you," he half-teased, for it was the truth. No one went around Pallu since her father's death save Rumah, Ner, and Draus.

Her reply was a snort. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm coming with you."

"No you're not," her tone leaving no room for opposition.

He gave her a look that told her they were not going to rehash this subject. "Who's going to stop me? You? You can barely walk."

Her eyes danced dangerously. "Leave. Before I throw you over the mountain."

He laughed whole heartedly at that. "What'll you do? Hiss me down?" He hissed at her.

Pallu picked up a rock and threw it at him, hiding her smirk as best she could. He and Rumah teased her often about Pallu's hissing at him the night her father died. At first, their joking made her angry but now she found it rather humorous, and they both knew it. She remembered little of her actions that night. It all melded together. But she remembered her hissing. She shook her head.

"Is that a smile I see?" He tried to get a better view of her down turned face. His statement made the tiny smile flee. He moved closer, pointing at her. "It was. It was a smile."

That made her smirk.

He rushed out of the cave and cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled vocally and mentally, "Pallu smiled!"

She smiled?! How come she waits 'til I'm not 'round ta smile!?

I did not. He's lying.

If Rumah were standing before her, Pallu knew that her sister would be pointing at her. Yer lyin'. Ya're fer smilin' now. I can tell.

Draus laughed behind his hand as he moved back into the cave.

"You two are awful. Can't leave well enough alone."

"No because you aren't well enough to leave alone." Draus sat before the fire and continued to feed it.

Pallu wanted to kick him for his statement, but she restrained herself. Vaguely she knew he was right, but she hated the fact he knew her so well in such a short time. Her feet carried her to end of the cave. As she looked out over the valley, Pallu knew the reason for his being there. He was there to make sure she did not do anything crazy like go into a battle which could not possibly be won. Her hand wiped her face. She did not like it, the fact Rumah and Ner did not feel she could be trusted alone but why him? He was an annoying pest that would never let her be. He watched her as closely as a predator does its prey and just as subtly. And he would not let her do as she wished, nearly always disagreeing with her and getting Rumah on his side. She hated that if she were thinking clearly he would be right. She would normally agree with him.

As her eyes soaked in the landscape from her high vantage point, the hair on her arms raised in warning. In fact, her entire body seemed to cry out in apprehension. Draus was at her side. "Do you feel that?"

"Aye," she growled, not at him but at the malicious feeling her body was rejecting.

Then, on the horizon far to the south, clouds gathered at an unnatural pace. The wind blew frantically around them. Several of the Mind Trickers came running to camp, eyes to the south. "What's going one?" asked one.

"I don't know." Pallu shielded her eyes.

Lightening raged in the huge storm. The clouds spun as if some great spoon turned them from above. With each moment, the clouds circled faster and faster until at the center a great cone of whirling lightening shot down to the ground. Everything in Pallu and those around her were instinctually revolted by this act as if it were some great abomination against the world. For some, it made them wish to hide, but for others, like Pallu and Draus, it made them wish to fight. The lightening cyclone vanished into the clouds, and then the storm disbursed as if nothing had happened.

Without a second thought, Pallu put out Draus's carefully made fire and gathered her belongings. The Fairie was right behind her. The five other members of the White Guard had their packs readied and followed her out onto the mountain. The seven vanished from the cave and reappeared at the bottom of the mountain where seven horses were tethered.

"South?" asked one of the White Guard.

Pallu confirmed with a nod. "South."

THE END

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